Ta-Nehisi Coates Analysis

Between the World and Me Analysis
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Read the text and thoughtfully answer the questions in a different font color.
1. Ta-Nehisi Coates begins with a scene where the police stop him in his car.
How does he build suspense in this opening paragraph? Specifically, how does he blend
what is happening to him externally and what is going through his mind? What makes
this strategy effective?
He uses flashbacks to build suspense- he flashes back to an event where a police officer killed a
different black man, so it builds suspense through the possibility of death. He also views this
flashback like he is a viewer, allowing us to see what is going on in his mind.
2. What is the rhetorical situation of this letter? Consider the broader context of a father
writing to his teenage son, but then also consider that this letter is not a traditional
letter: it is a book-length work that Coates wrote with the intention of publishing, and it
is therefore a public document. To what extent are these aspects of the context at odds
with each other?
Letters are meant to be private, personal things. So by publicly publishing the letter, it takes
away the sense of personalization. He is no longer writing just for his son, he is writing for
everyone else who reads the letter as well. Something that is meant to be a private thing
written for the express purpose to be published is very weird. It feels to the reader like they are
intruding on something personal.
3. In paragraph 5, Coates comments on the concept of “‘police reform’” -- which he places

in quotes. What is his assessment of its value? To what extent might such an appraisal
alienate his readers? Why might he be willing to take that chance?
He thinks that there was not actually a reform, nothing has really changed. This may alienate
readers because not all of them may have the same belief. They might believe that there were
actually a lot of changes. I think that he is willing to take this chance because it allows him to
more effectively communicate his point and express his opinion.
4. What effect does Coates’s use of figurative language have on the emotional appeal of
his argument ? Consider at least four examples. For instance, “The earthquake cannot
be subpoenaed. The typhoon will not bend under indictment” (para. 9).
“But these officers had my body, could do with that body whatever they pleased.” (p1)
“The earthquake cannot be subpoenaed. The typhoon will not bend under indictment” (p9)
“He was a force of nature, the helpless agent of our worlds physical laws” (p1)
“For a young man like me, the invention of the internet was like the invention of space travel”
(p10)
The figurative language that he used allows all kinds of readers to sympathize with and
understand the argument. A majority of the readers of this letter aren't going to have gone
through the same experiences as him, so he uses figurative language so they are able to
understand what he went through without having actually gone through it.
5. Note how Coates addresses the passage of time throughout this excerpt, indicating
multiple shifts with phrases such as “Shortly before you were born” (para. 1), “Days
late” (para. 4), “At this moment” (para. 5), “Weeks wore on” (para. 7), and “In those
days” (para. 21). What is the effect of continually shifting between present, immediate
past, and distant past? How do these structural shifts serve Coates’s purpose?
The shifting between present and past shows the changes that have occurred. In this case, it
shows the lack of change. He is commentating on the fact that no progress has been made,
even though this is a major problem and has been a major problem for years. However, in both
the past and the present, things are roughly the same.
6. Some critics have argued that although Between the World and Me is a direct address to
his son, Coates is actually crafting his message for a wider (mostly white) audience, as
his position would likely be familiar to his family and to other African Americans. Based
on this excerpt, who do you think is the audience for Between the World and Me?
Consider how Coates establishes his ethos, and support your response with specific
reference to the text.
I think that the intended audience is white people or people who haven’t had to experience
being the minority. A lot of the feelings he describes are things that other people in similar
situations can relate to, so while they would likely be able to relate to the letter, the people
who will be able to learn the most from it are people in the majority.
7. Although Coates is developing a strong and logical argument, he primarily structures it

as a narrative, or story. Why do you think this rhetorical strategy is or is not effective?
I think it is effective because it makes the story more entertaining. The facts and logic in the
argument keep the reader from just discarding this as fantasy, but the story elements keep the
reader engaged. People like to read entertaining stories, so by setting this up as a story, Coates
is able to keep people interested while also informing them at the same time.
8. One reviewer described Coates’s style as “a departure from the rhetoric of the civil
rights movement, or at least the civil rights movement that has been sanitized and
commercialized for mass consumption. Because of these departures, Coates’s hope
feels stark and brutal.” Do you agree or disagree with this characterization of his
rhetoric? Explain with specific reference to the text.
I think that the way he presents these issues is definitely more raw and real than many other
things present in the media. However, especially with events like the Black Lives Matter
movement, the more stark and brutal parts of the civil rights movement have been more
present in the media. I think that his approach definitely is more emotional than many other
stories present in the media, but I don't think I would go as far as to call his analysis stark and
brutal.
From The Language of Composition 3rd Edition (pages 995-997)

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Between the World and Me Analysis

3. In paragraph 5, Coates comments on the concept of “‘police reform’” -- which he places

7. Although Coates is developing a strong and logical argument, he primarily structures it

From The Language of Composition 3rd Edition (pages 995-997)

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